Rijal Almaa: Saudi Arabia’s 900-Year-Old "Gingerbread Village"

Decoding the "Gingerbread" Architecture

Because flat land was scarce in the rugged Asir mountains, villagers had only one direction to build: upward.

• Towering Heights: Families constructed multi-story stone towers, some rising as high as eight stories into the cool mountain air.
• Impenetrable Design: Ground floors securely stored livestock and grain, middle floors housed extended families, and top floors served as defensive lookouts.
• The "Icing": Builders used dark basalt rock for strength, lining the roofs and windows with brilliant white quartz to reflect the sun like piped icing.
• Vibrant Accents: Intricately carved wooden shutters painted in saturated reds, blues, and greens pop brilliantly against the earthy mountain tones.

...[ Continue to next page ] By: Amita Kalsi